Who will foot the bill for MH370 search?

An Australian official says countries searching for the missing Malaysian plane have yet to agree on how to share costs.

Malaysian officials are in the Australian capital, Canberra, on Tuesday to discuss the next phase of the seabed search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 that is thought to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on board.

Malaysia is in charge of the search because the Boeing 777 is registered in that country. But Australia is co-ordinating the search because it is the closest country to where the plane is thought to have crashed.

Australia's Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre head Angus Houston told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television on Tuesday that cost-sharing between countries is still under negotiation. - Sapa-AP